Date
12-16-2025
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Constance Pearson
Keywords
Ethnic disproportionality, Native Americans, Special Education
Disciplines
Education | Special Education and Teaching
Recommended Citation
Rose, Megan N., "Perceptions of Educators of Native American Students in Special Education and Why They Were Placed in Special Education" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7862.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7862
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of educators of Native American students related to the disproportionality of Native American students who are placed in special education in a school in the Southeastern U.S. The theory that guided this study was critical race theory and its relationship to the disproportionality of Native American students being placed in special education. The central research question that guided the study was: What are educators' experiences with the placement of Native American students in special education? The participants included eleven teachers of Native American students who were placed in special education. The study’s methodology was hermeneutic phenomenology. The data collection methods included a screening survey, interviews, focus groups, and audio journals. Data analysis yielded three themes and seven sub-themes: tribal communities' responses to disabilities; relations between tribal communities and education; and teacher treatment of students.
